Funding Secured for Six Pioneering Photonic Chip Projects

The six research projects granted to TU/e are:

• G(a)LAQTIC: Integrated Glass Photonics for Tailored Light Fields Enabling Cold Atom-Based Quantum Computing and Sensing

  G(a)LAQTIC is reinventing how we control atoms - not with bulky lab equipment, but with tiny, powerful light chips. Utilizing advanced glass-based photonics, the project will trap and manipulate single atoms with unprecedented precision. Led by the Eindhoven University of Technology, it will deliver the first fully photonic atom trap, paving the way for compact, scalable quantum devices. G(a)LAQTIC brings together top experts to boost Europe's leadership in next-generation quantum technology, making quantum computers and sensors more practical, portable, and ready for the real world.

  Philippe Bouyer - Department of Applied Physics and Science Education

  Servaas Kokkelmans - Department of Applied Physics and Science Education (co-applicant)

• Spiking Photonic ICs with Quantum-enhanced Efficiency for Neuromorphic Edge Processing (SPIKE-Q)

  The world is moving toward real-time artificial intelligence at the edge of systems, from smart sensors to autonomous systems, but today's electronic processors consume too much energy and are reaching their limits. SPIKE-Q proposes a new solution by combining brain-inspired computing with photonic chips that process information using light instead of electricity. By developing ultra-sensitive and energy-efficient light-based detector neurons, SPIKE-Q will enable faster, greener AI that can run directly at the edge of systems. This project will pioneer new technology for building compact, low-power systems for future smart devices, sensors, and AI applications.

  Victor Dolores Calzadilla - Department of Electrical Engineering

• Mid-infrared hex-SiGe photodetectors for silicon photonics

  The promise of integrated photonics is that optical functionality can be combined into electronic circuits. This may lead to faster chips that use less energy, or to entirely new applications. The challenge is to integrate a material with a direct bandage in Si photonics, which is needed as a light source, optical amplifier, and photodetector. In this project, we develop a new type of photodetector, which is extremely sensitive and can be used for long wavelengths. As active material, we use a material that is compatible with standard Si technology and can therefore be produced on a large scale.

  Erik Bakkers - Department of Applied Physics and Science Education

  Klaas-Jan Tielrooij - Department of Applied Physics and Science Education (co-applicant)

• Integrated photonics sensors for fusion (Photofusion)

  Nuclear fusion has the potential to become a sustainable and clean energy source, addressing the global energy crisis and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Fusion reactors, such as tokamaks, use powerful magnetic fields to confine plasma into the reactor. Effective control of tokamaks requires advanced sensors to detect and manage instabilities that may cause the reactor to shut down. Monitoring electron cyclotron emission frequencies is crucial for measuring plasma temperature in real-time, essential for reactor control. Current approaches use bulky and complex microwave components. Photofusion aims to develop innovative diagnostic tools based on integrated photonic sensors.

  Idelfonso Tafur Monroy - Departments Electrical Engineering & Applied Physics and Science Education

  Roger Jaspers - Department Applied Physics and Science Education (co-applicant)

  Bruno Cimoli - Department Electrical Engineering (co-applicant)

• Photonic and Electronic Integration of Detectors for Wireless Optical Communication

  The rapid advancement in several data-centric technologies such as smart Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, ultra-high definition multimedia streaming and gaming, AR/VR, etc., drives an exponentially rising demand for high-speed and continuously available internet access, demanding a push toward high-performance connectivity. Photonic-electronic integrated solutions pave the way for massive use of optical wireless links, free from the increasing congestion of radio frequencies, to enable high-speed, ultra-reliable low-latency communication, and to support ultra-high-density networks. Creating more sensitive, high-bandwidth signal sensors, significantly reduces power consumption the communication chain and allows miniaturization into personal and IoT devices.

  Piyush Kaul - Department of Electrical Engineering

  Jean-Paul Linnartz - Department of Electrical Engineering (co-applicant)

• Cryogenic CMOS-based electronic-photonic interconnects for NXP quantum computer

  Quantum computers can potentially change our society, by creating new paradigms in, e.g., drug discovery, battery optimization, and climate research. Such computers often work at extremely low temperature, close to absolute zero, in a specially designed fridge, a cryostat. NXP works on chips that can control the qubits in such a quantum computer. However, these need to communicate with the world outside the cryostat. We think optical interconnects work better for this than electronic links. In this project we will realize a transceiver that can work at extremely low temperatures and is based on integrated photonics, on a silicon chip.

  Martijn Heck - Department of Electrical Engineering